Sorrows Revisited
by Forlay
Summary: When Tobias comes down with a mysterious virus, Rachel must relive his memories


_Author's warning: Some strong language in this fic, don't say I didn't warn ya'!!!_   
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#  Sorrows Revisited

##  By: Forlay

###  Chapter One

AHHHHHHH!!! >   
I bolted upright in bed, "Tobias?" I whispered urgently. No answer. I leaped out of bed, not even caring that I definetly wasn't wearing appropriate clothing to be seeing Tobias. I went to the window and leaned out, trying to find Tobias. I saw him on the ground below on his side, rolling around as if in alot of pain.   
I quickly grabbed a pair of shorts out of my dresser, put them on and ran downstairs and out of the house as quietly as I could.   
Once outside, it was harder to find Tobias. The pre-dawn light turned everything a purplish-gray color, but I found Tobias unconcious and on his side a few feet from where I'd seen him from my window.   
I leaned down and picked him up gently, "Tobias? Tobias, wake up!" I whispered urgently.   
Huh? Rachel? Where am I? > he asked.   
"You're in my front yard, it's just before dawn, you woke me up screaming bloody murder. I got down here as fast as I could and found you passed out."   
I...I was coming to see you and I was just about to come in the window when I suddenly felt...uh, > he groaned in pain. I moved my hand a little to move him in a more comfortable position, when I felt something wet on my hand. I looked at it. Blood.   
I swore under my breath, "Something happened to you, you're bleeding. We've got to get you to Cassie's."   
Wait... >   
But I wasn't listening, I was already carrying him inside so I could quick write a note to my mom explaining my absense.   
Since Tobias couldn't fly, I was going to ride my bike and carry him in one arm, but he was loosing alot of blood. I grabbed a bandage from the bathroom and warpped it around his chest, where the blood seemed to be coming from.   
As quietly as I could, I got my bike out of my garage and began peddling as fast as I could towards Cassie's.

###  Chapter Two

The sun was just coming up when we reached Cassie's. Tobias was nearly unconcious again, probably from the loss of blood. My hasty bandage wasn't doing much to stop the bleeding, blood was soaking through the cotton.   
I gently set Tobias down and began hunting for rocks to throw. It was way too early to ring the doorbell and ask whoever answered the door if Cassie could come out, so I was going to improvise: throw rocks at her window untill she wakes up. Not the best plan, but we didn't have alot of time.   
Cassie was either already awake or sleeping very lightly since she opened the window after only two stones.   
"Rachel?" she asked groggily, as if she wasn't quite sure it was really me.   
"Cassie! Get down here! Tobias is hurt!"   
That woke her up, without saying anything, she closed the window and a minute later, she was carrying Tobias to the barn.   
"What happened?" she asked.   
"I don't know. Just before dawn he came over and woke me up by screaming. When I got up, I saw him on the ground, rolling around in pain. By the time I got outside with him, he was unconcious. I managed to wake him up and find out he was bleeding. I tried to bandage the wound, but as you can see, it didn't exactly work."   
While I was talking, Cassie was busy cutting away the bandage. The blood had begun to clot a little around the edge of the wound, but it was still bleeding. His chest feathers were matted with blood.   
"Get me some cotton swabs and alcohol," Cassie told me. I complied.   
Cassie poured a little of the clear liquid onto the cotton swabs and gently began to clean the wound. Tobias, who had passed out again by now, awoke again, screaming.   
Ow!!! Cassie, what the hell are you doing?! > he demanded.   
"Trying to find out what happened to you, now shut up," she ordered. He did.   
Once the wound was cleaned, Cassie began to inspect it. "Tobias, did anybody happen to attack you with a piece of broken glass?"   
No...why? >   
"Because that's what it looks like this gash was made from."   
Cassie was right, it did look like Tobias' chest had been cut open by glass, or something equally as jagged.   
That's what I was going to tell you, Rachel, back at your place. I was screaming because it suddenly felt like someone had kicked me in the ribs, then cut me with glass or a knife through the chest. >   
"How could that have happend though?" I asked, frustrated. "This must have happened just outside my window, no one would have been able to reach you, and even if they did, you would have _noticed_."   
"I have no idea," Cassie admitted.   
"Cassie, you finish patching up Tobias, I'm going to get the rest of the guys."

###  Chapter Three

"Do you know what time it is, Xena?!" Marco demanded of me when I soared into his room.   
Yes, I do, Marco. I'm the one who's been up for an hour, having been woken up by Tobias screaming like he was in his death throes! > I shouted at him. I wasn't in the mood to be reasonable.   
Here's the scene: I'm a large bald eagle perched on Marco's desk next to his computer. Marco's squinting at me in the early morning light with the sheets pulled up to his chin, looking like he'd like to leap across the room and strangle me for waking him up. I'd been through the same basic thing with Jake. Ax was alot calmer, thankfully.   
Just hurry up, morph osprey and get to Cassie's. We have a major emergency. Meet you there. > I hopped to the window and began flying back to the barn, leaving a grumbling Marco behind me.   
How is he? > I asked as I landed in the barn and began to demorph. Thankfully, the shirt I'd slept in and the shorts I'd grabbed were tight enough to morph with me. I may keep an extra outfit in the barn, but I really didn't want to have to demorph in front of anyone without a morphing outfit.   
"He passed out again," Cassie reported. "I stitched him up and warpped him back up. Turns out he cracked a rib, too. No idea if it was caused by...whatever cut him, or if it was from falling from the height of your window to the ground."   
"Or a combination of the two," Jake muttered. We were a tired, depressed group when Marco finally arrived.   
"All right, what's up with the bird boy? And can we keep this quick?" he demanded.   
Tobias woke up then, Why am I in a cage? > he asked, seemingly calm.   
I walked over to him, "It looks like you're going to be staying here for awhile," I explained. "You've got..." I looked to Cassie.   
"About ten stitches in your chest and a cracked rib," she supplied.   
"Tobias, can you explain precisely what happened at Rachel's? Plain. Exxxxxxxxplain. Xxx," Ax asked.   
I was flying and just about to go into Rachel's room when suddenly it felt like I was being kicked in the chest and slashed at with a broken bottle. I screamed and I guess I fell and passed out on Rachel's front lawn."   
Marco raised an eyebrow, "Visiting Xena at dawn? Oooooh, must be love."   
I wasn't close to Marco, but, surprisingly, Jake did exactly what I wanted to do. He punched Marco in the shoulder. Hard.   
"Shut up, Marco," he said quietly. Not 'I-don't-want-to-make-a-scene' quiet, more like 'I'm-really-getting-P.O'ed' quiet.   
"Any idea what happened, Ax?" I asked.   
He shook his head, "I do not, otuh, not. Do not know. Owwww."   
Marco rolled his eyes, "Thanks for that insight into our problems."   
Cassie looked at the clock on the wall, "If we aren't going to get anything done, which is what this looks like, can we break up the meeting? My parents are going to be up any minute and first thing my dad is going to do after coffee is check in here. I'll make up some story about how Tobias got here if I have to, but I can't explain why the rest of you are here. I'll call if anything changes," she added that last part with a significant glance at me. Jake would want to be informed of Tobias' progress, so would Marco, although he wouldn't admit it, and same with Ax, but Cassie knew about Tobias and I (and after our little vacation through time, I think everyone else did too) and knew that I would want to know everything that happens with Tobias.   
With a mix of reluctance and relief, Marco, Jake and I began to morph our bird of prey morphs while Ax started to shakily walk back towards the woods.   
When I got home, I wasn't tired, so I got dressed and headed downstairs to get breakfast. But instead of finding the downstairs deserted, I saw Mom sitting at the dining room table, which was covered with papers and folders.   
"Mom?"   
She looked up, "Oh, hi, Rachel. I didn't hear you come down," she glanced at her watch. "It's barely seven thirty, why are you up so early? And during the summer?"   
I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."   
"Ah. Well, I need you to stay around the house today, I've got to go into the office early and I'm probably going to work late."   
"But I've got plans today, Mom!" I protested.   
She glanced up and raised an eyebrow, "Really? What would those plans be?"   
"Uh...a friend of mine was in an accident and he broke a few bones and is in the hospital," I improvised. "I promised to visit him."   
"Him?"   
I sighed, "Yes, him. Just don't get all weird on me, okay Mom? Just...I don't know, I can't stay around here all day."   
She considered what I said, "I guess Jordan can take care of Sara for a little while, but no more than an hour at a time, got it?"   
I nodded, "Thanks, Mom."   
She began picking up papers and putting them in her briefcase. "I've gotta go, I'll call if I'm going to be late."   
"'Kay, bye, Mom."   
No sooner had Mom left the house than the phone rang.   
"Hello?"   
"Rachel? It's Cassie."   
I felt my heart skip a beat. Cassie had no reason to call this early unless something was wrong. "Hey, what's up?" I asked, hoping my voice didn't sound as paniked as I felt.   
"You know that friend of ours who has been having some...problems? It seems they've resurfaced."   
I cursed again, "I'll be over as soon as I can, but I need to take care of Sara and Jordan first."   
"All right, but hurry."   
I quickly hung up and took the stairs two at a time to Jordan's room.   
"Jordan," I whispered. "Hey, Jordan, wake up." I shook her a little.   
"What is it, Rachel?" she asked groggily.   
"Mom's gone to work and I need to go see a friend, could you keep an eye on things for an hour at the most?" She nodded sleepily. "Thanks." Jordan nodded again and then went back to sleep.

###  Chapter Four

I used every bit of the eagle's knowledge of flight to get to Cassie's as fast as I could. When I finally got there, I found Cassie and Ax, in his human morph, looking in a cage.   
"What's happening?" I demanded as my mouth and human vocal chords formed.   
Cassie shrugged, "He went into spasms of some sort and started begging and pleading for someone not to hurt him anymore. I gave him a sedative, which knocked him back out. It was a mild one, so we're waiting for it to wear off so we can find out what happened."   
"Are Jake and Marco coming?"   
"No, they can't get away for awhile, but will be over here as soon as they can."   
"I can't stay long, either, Mom's working and I have to watch Sara and Jordan all day. I can leave them alone for an hour at a time, but that's it. So this sedative better wear off soon."   
It did, but we didn't learn any more from Tobias. He said he didn't remember any specifics of what happened, just alot of pain. Cassie examined him and found his right wing was now broken and the stitches had been severed, causing the gash to start bleeding again.   
This continued the rest of the day. Every three or four hours, Cassie would call and make up some excuse for me to come over. I'd leave Sara with Jordan, go to Cassie's, spend a frustrating hour with Tobias, come back home, and repeat the cycle over. That night, I spent the night at Cassie's so I could be near by if anything else happened.   
Cassie had kept Tobias back in a corner, so her dad didn't know about him yet, which was good since there was no way to explain the seizure-type symptoms and the new wounds that appeared with every episode. Who knows what he'd do to Tobias, but I'm sure none of them would be good. There was no way human science could explain this, and apparently, Andalite science couldn't, either. Ax was just as confused as the rest of us as to what was happening with Tobias.   
Late the next morning, I was sitting in the barn near Tobias' cage while Cassie checked on the other patients. He was out cold again. Most of his time was spent either having spasms or being unconcious. He didn't make the best of company, but I couldn't leave him. Not in this state. You don't abandon someone you...like.   
I think I dozed off for awhile, I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. I woke with a start, but realized instantly I wasn't in Cassie's barn anymore.   
I was standing in the middle of a swirling turquois mist. Well, alternating between standing and floating. I don't understand what was happening, but I did know one thing: I was in the realm of the Ellimist.   
"What do you want?" I demanded.   
IT'S ABOUT TOBIAS   
That got my attention, "What do you mean?"   
THERE IS A WAY TO HELP HIM.   
"How?"   
In an instant, the rest of the Animorphs, except Tobias, were with me, all with identical looks of confusion on their faces.   
"What are we doing here?" demanded Marco. "I'm sitting there at the table with Dad, enjoying a nice bowl of Fruit Loops, and suddenly, I'm here. That doesn't help my appetite you know."   
PERHAPS YOU DON'T WISH TO FIND A WAY TO HELP TOBIAS, THEN.   
That got everyone's attention. "What do you mean?" asked Jake.   
TOBIAS IS SUFFERING FROM...SEVERE EMOTIONAL TRAUMA, I BELIEVE WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO PUT IT. THE STRESS OF BEING AN ANIMORPH HAS BROUGHT OUT MEMORIES THAT HE HAS KEPT SUPRESSED FOR YEARS. A VIRUS HAS CAUSED THE MEMORIES TO MANIFEST THEMSELVES PHYSICALLY.   
"How do we help him?" Cassie asked.   
ONE OF YOU MUST GO BACK AND RELIVE THESE MEMORIES FOR TOBIAS. THIS NOT ONLY GIVES HIS BODY A CHANCE TO RECUPERATE, BUT WILL DEFEAT THE VIRUS THAT IS CAUSING THE MEMORIES TO MANIFEST   
"I'll go," Jake said immediatly. That's Jake for you, always willing to risk himself if he thinks it will help another member of the group.   
No, Prince Jake, I shall, > Ax said. Tobias is my _shorm_, it would be my honor to help him. >   
NO, JAKE AND AXIMILI. THE TASK CAN ONLY BE COMPLETED BY ONE WHO LOVES THE AFFLICTED UNCONDITIONALLY.   
Marco looked in my direction, "I wonder who that would be."   
I took a deep breath. "All right, Ellimist. What do I do?"

###  Chapter Five

The next thing I knew I was in a large apartment decorated with lots of expensive antiques and figurines and other things rich people like to use to decorate their homes with. I had no idea where I was, but I did know that whoever owned this place was pretty well off.   
YOU'LL WITNESS FIRST HAND WHAT TOBIAS REMEMBERS. YOU'LL SEEM TO BE YOURSELF, BUT OTHERS SHALL SEE YOU AS TOBIAS.   
_Geez, it's an episode of Quantum Leap_, I thought to myself.   
"TOBIAS! You brat! Get in here!" A woman shouted from what I guessed was the kitchen. Dutifully I walked in.   
A woman, probably in her mid-30's, although she tried to hide it behind dyed platinum blond hair and way too much makeup, was standing in front of the shattered remains of what looked like a plate.   
"Look!" she screeched and pointed at the mess. "Look what you did while...I don't know what you were doing, but you must have done this!"   
"I'm sorry, Aunt Rose," I found myself saying. I was a sort of a first person observer. I felt everything, but had no control. "I didn't mean to."   
Rose came over and knelt in front of me. "Of course you didn't, Toby," she said in a fake sweet voice. "But we need to learn to take responsibility for our actions, don't we?" 'I' nodded. "Now, Auntie Rose is having company over for dinner, so I want you to clean up the mess you made, then go to your room and stay out of the way."   
"Am I in trouble?" I asked with a shaky voice.   
Rose wrapped me in a hug, but I could feel it was just for show, she didn't mean it. "Of course not, Toby dear, but Auntie Rose's company is very important, and I'm sure you'd have more fun with your dinosaurs then with me and my friends." She let me go.   
" 'Kay," I said, and quietly went off to find the broom.   
_What's so bad about this?_ I wondered. _His aunt needs an attitude adjustment, but everyone has relatives like that._   
I spent the rest of the evening in Tobias' room playing with action figures and dinosaurs. Well, maybe it was more Tobias played, I watched...it's hard to explain what was happening. It was kind of like what being a controller must feel like, except I didn't resent doing this. It may have been boring, but if it kept my Tobias from being hurt anymore, it was worth it.   
I found out why this memory was so painful later that evening. It was around eleven, Tobias was hungry and figured his aunt was asleep so he crept out of his room towards the kitchen.   
He was wrong about his aunt. She was sitting in a chair in the living room with a bottle of clear liquid in her hand. From the way her eyes were slightly glazed, I could figure she wasn't drinking Sprite.   
Tobias tried to sneak past, but a floorboard creeked, alerting Rose to his presence.   
"Dammit, Tobias!" she yelled. "Why the hell do you keep disobeying me?! I told you to stay in your room!"   
"I was hungry," Tobias whispered.   
"You were hungry?" Rose mocked. "Eat this!" she through the bottle in Tobias' general direction. It was well above his head and to the right, but Tobias ducked instinctively.   
Rose staggered to her feet. "I've had it with you, you spoiled brat. You're going to live with your uncle. Pack your bag, you'll be leaving tomorrow."   
"No, Aunt Rose!" Tobias pleaded. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I promise I'll be good, just don't send me to Uncle Mike!"   
Rose shoved Tobias away. "Get off me, brat," she slurred. "See? You think you can plead your way out of going to your uncle, you're so spoiled. It'll be a bless to get rid of you, you sunuvabitch." She picked up the phone and began dailing. She looked back to Tobias, who hadn't moved. "I said pack!" She raised her free hand and backhanded Tobias across the face. One of her rings made a long scratch along my cheek.   
Tobias was shocked. For a minute he didn't move. But when Rose raised her hand again he dashed back to his room and pulled out a suitcase. He tore open his drawers and began flinging clothes in.

###  Chapter Six

Suddenly I found myself in a different house. A complete opposite of Rose's. Hers was light and contemporary, professionally decorated, the works. This one looked like it was from medival times. Worn, dark colored furniture, few lights, window shades drawn. And messy. Extremely messy. Beer bottles and cans littlered the floor, the walls had grubby hand prints all over them, there were even a few fist-sized holes in the walls.   
"Dammit, Boy! Where the hell are you?!" I heard a male voice shout drunkenly.   
"Coming, Unle Mike."   
I walked into the next room and was greeted by a slap across the face, hard enough to make me take a few steps back.   
"When I call for you, you are to come, got it?" the man asked menacingly. Tobias nodded silently.   
"Clean up this damn room," Mike ordered. "NOW!" he stormed out.   
Tobias looked around sullenly. This was the kitchen, and while the floor wasn't covered with beer bottles, the counters and sink were overflowing with dirty dishes, many with moldy remains of food.   
Tobias began to clean up, he knew that doing what Mike commanded was the best way to keep from being beaten to a pulp, but I wanted nothing more than to go beat the crap out of Mike. But I suppose the Ellimist didn't allow me to have control of my body for that reason: I'd make anyone who hurt me hurt worse, which wasn't the way to beat this. I had to experience exactly what Tobias had suffered through.   
Half an hour later, Tobias had barely made a dent in the mess when Mike came storming back in.   
"You worthless son of a bitch!" he shouted. "I do everything for you, but how do you thank me?" He punched Tobias in the nose, cause me to collapse to the floor. "You do nothing, goddammit! If you weren't my sister's kid I'd kick you out on the street, you worthless bum!"   
"But--" Tobias was silenced by a boot to the stomach.   
"But nothing, you worthless bastard." He kicked again, harder this time. I was sure I felt a rib crack.   
Tobias crawled away from Mike slowly. He reached up and grabbed a counter top to pull himself up.   
"What did I do, Uncle Mike?" he asked tenatively.   
"What the hell _didn't_ you do?" Mike shouted. He took a swig from his beer bottle then chucked it in Tobias' direction. It hit the counter next to me. Even drunk, this guy had good aim.   
"Get out," Mike growled. "Get to your God damned school, just get out of my damn sight!"   
This had all happened before _school_? This obviously wasn't an event that happend the day Rose shipped Tobias to his uncle. I began to notice that this couldn't have even been the same year as the experience with Rose. Counters and tables there had been at chin level there and were now at mid chest level now. I figured Tobias had been about six with Rose, ten now.   
Tobias had to run to school to make it on time. With a cracked, or at least bruised, rib, that wasn't easy, but he did. He quietly slipped into a seat between a tall blond girl and an average height black haired guy just as the bell rang. I didn't recognize the guy, but the girl I knew right away.   
She was me.   
As the teacher called role, Tobias was day dreaming about the girl. Me. A very odd experience, believe me. I hadn't even known Tobias had existed in fourth grade, let alone he had a crush on me. He must have eaten lunch right next to me, since the teacher we'd had was a real witch and had made us do everything by alphabetical order, even seating arrangements at lunch, which put Tobias and me next to eachother for everything.   
"Tobias? Tobias!"   
He looked up at the teacher, snapped out of his day dream. "Yes, Ms. Parker?"   
She eyes him warily, "Just wondering if you were going to stay with us today, or if you wanted to take a vacation to Never Never Land with the Lost Boys."   
I felt Tobias' cheeks flush and the class began to laugh. Including myself. That's why I was still here, to feel Tobias' pain at being laughed at by the girl he liked. I felt like dirt right then. Laughing at someone else's expense. Tobias must not have remembered me when we became Animorphs, otherwise he would have hated me and stayed as far away as possible. I know I would have if our roles had been reversed.

###  Chapter Seven

Back to Rose's. Get yelled at alot and slapped a few times.   
Back to Mike's. Get beaten while he's drunk. The injuries escalated as Tobias got older, even a few hospital stays, but he was always released back to his uncle. This country really needs to work on it's social services system.   
And, in my opinion, the worst memories. Going to school, getting picked on by bullies, and watching as I walked by in the hall, obvlivious to his existance. After fourth grade, I grew more compasionate, choosing to ignore him rather than laugh, but it hurt him just the same.   
After a few trips back and forth, I recognized the kids at school as being the ones I currently had classes with, I must have been nearing the end of this journey.   
"Hey, it's Toby," a voice behind me taunted. Tobias started walking faster, but the three guys caught up easily. I didn't recognize them beyond the fact they were football players, which was easily recognizable by their jerseys.   
One pushed Tobias back against a locker. I felt a stab of pain as the lock was jammed into my back. Another guy ruffled Tobias' hair. "Uh-oh, little Toby didn't wash his hair today."   
"Leave me alone," Tobias pleaded, but he must have known it was futile.   
"It just wouldn't be right if we ignored this. You need help to get that hair clean, and we're just the guys to help." He motioned to the guy pinning me to the locker and his buddy. They lifted me by the arms and carried me into the men's room.   
_Oh, shit,_ I thought as the guys dragged me into a stall. The guy who had been talking grabbed my legs and lifted me upside down over the toilet.   
"Swirlie!" the idiots cheered as my hair swirled in the toilet bowl. They were lucky that it was all of Tobias' emotions and actions that were showing here, otherwise these two punks would be dead before they knew what hit them.   
"Hey, what are you doing?"   
We all looked up to see Jake standing in front of us.   
"Nothing, Jakey," the lead creep said. "Just helping Toby clean his hair."   
"Let him go, Downing."   
The head guy-Downing-looked at his friends. "You heard the guy, let little Toby down." They grinned and let go of me at the same time.   
My head plunged down through the water while the rest of my body fell forward. Tobias managed to survive with only a slight bumpb on the head and a mouthfull of toilet water.   
Jake came over and helped Tobias out. "You okay?"   
Tobias nodded and coughed, "Yeah, thanks."   
"I'm Jake. You new?"   
Tobias shrugged. "Sort of. I'm Tobias."   
"We'd better be getting to class, the bell's gonna ring any minute. If you need anything, talk to me, we probably have some classes together, if not, find me in the lunch room."   
"All right, thanks."

###  Chapter Eight

Back to Mike's house, about two weeks later. Mike was in one of his all too common drunken rages. To save himself, Tobias ran from the house. As soon as he was alone, he began to morph.   
With a start, I realized what day this was. What memory I'd be experiencing, and I desperatly wanted to end this. I could handle broken bones and swirlies, but not the emotional trauma this memory would bring.   
Down in the Yeerk Pool I watched through hawk eyes the battle that was raging. I saw a gorilla, tiger, horse, elephant and some monster morph of Visser Three's. I watched as the animals all escaped. Without me, Tobias.   
When the commotion had died down and Pool life returned to what passes for normal in Hell, Tobias escaped, unnoticed. Once outside the school, when he tried to demorph, that's when the reason I was feeling this memory hit.   
NOOOOOO! > He cried out in thought speak. He cried silently to himself as he flew off into the night, and I cried with im.   
Next thing I knew, I was back in Cassie's barn.   
CONGRATULATIONS, RACHEL, The Ellimist said. THE VIRUS IN TOBIAS' SYSTEM HAS SUCCESSFULLY BEEN PURGED, AND HE HAS YOU TO THANK. YOU WILL FIND HIS WOUNDS HEALED.   
I opened Tobias' cage and gently took him out to see for myself while the others crowded around me to see, too.   
The Ellimist was right. Tobias was good as new, not even a scar was left to prove what he had been through.   
His eyes fluttered open. Uh...hi. >   
I grinned and held him close in a hug. Well, as much of a hug as you can give a hawk.   
Could anyone explain what happened? And while we're at it, why I'm not in a body cast anymore? >   
"I'll try and explain it on the way back to your meadow," I said.

###  Chapter Nine

Tobias morphed human and we walked hand in hand back to his meadow in silence. I didn't know what to say or where to start.   
We reached his meadow and stood around awkwardly for a minute before I did something that shocked me as much as it did him.   
I kissed him.   
I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him right on the lips. It took him a good thirty seconds to realize what was happening, but he kissed me back.   
When we finally broke apart to get some air, he asked, "What was that for?"   
"An apology."   
"Apology? Apology for what?"   
I told him what had happened. How the Ellimist had sent me back to re-live his memories first hand. And how many of those memories involved how cruel I was to him.   
"I had no idea you felt that way," I admitted. "I don't even think we had a class together after Ms. Parker. And if I had known you, and how you felt, I would never have acted that way."   
"And imagine how different our lives would have ended up if you hadn't ignored me. We'd probably have hated eachother by fifth grade and on the night we all met at the mall one of us would have gone in the opposite direction and never looked back."   
"And--"   
Tobias put a finger to my lips to silence me. "Can we not talk about this anymore? There was a reason I supressed those memories. It's bad enough that both of us have had to live those memories, let's not go back over them again."   
I smiled gently and said the first thing that came to my mind. "I love you, Tobias."   
"I love you, too, Rachel."

_Author's Notes: And you thought you were in for your run-of-the-mill dark fic, didn't ya'??? But what kind of story would this be if I didn't throw in my patented sappy part??? A girl's gotta have standards to live up to, y'know._   
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